May/June 2026 Hawaii Parent 155 Become an American Red Cross Certified One of the ways for tweens and teens to earn this trust is to become an American Red Cross Certified Babysitter. According to the Red Cross, “8 in 10 surveyed parents said they would pay more for a trained babysitter who holds a Red Cross Babysitter Certification.” Babysitters who get additional certifications in First Aid/CPR/AED classes have the potential to earn even more because they will be fully prepared to deal with numerous emergency situations, thereby adding more value to their services. What’s even more exciting is that the Red Cross just updated this training in 2025, with courses sharing the latest information and techniques on child care while preparing participants to properly care for children safely and confidently. Classes can be taken online through the main American Red Cross website or in person in Hawaii through KITA LLC, a licensed American Red Cross training provider located in Kapolei, HI. The Babysitting Basics Class The online Babysitting Basics class introduces skills and concepts necessary to babysit children. Topics include caring for infants and children, choosing age-appropriate activities, and managing child behavior. A certificate of completion is issued upon completion. This is an excellent first step in starting a babysitting business, but it is important to note that this is a certificate of completion and not a certification. The in-person class focuses on these same topics with additional training in basic care for infants and children (including feeding, diapering, and safely picking up children and infants), basic first aid skills, water and fire safety preparedness, and basic emergency response. The course includes hand-on activities, videos,
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